What is an Au Pair ?
Au pair is an anglicization of the French term "au pair," which means "on par" or "equal to" and describes a young person - a young woman, or sometimes a young man - helps the family with childcare, housework, or both while staying as a guest of the family - an extended family member - and generally receiving a small allowance (or pocket money).
Both the family and au pair are expected to respect cultural differences and display tolerance towards one another.

The Council of Europe recommends that every au pair be issued a standard contract with their family.

Au Pair in USA
The au pair program offers qualified young people the opportunity to live and study in the United States for one or two years, in exchange for providing up to 45 hours of childcare per week. The au pair program was recently granted permission from the U.S. Department of State to offer a second year extension au pair program (6, 9, or 12 months), as well as a summer au pair program.